


Advice

by west_haven



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Gen, Post Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-03-08
Packaged: 2018-03-16 21:07:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3502799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/west_haven/pseuds/west_haven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ellie finally confides in Joel about her relationship with Riley.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Advice

"Hey, uh, Joel!" He heard Ellie call out to him as he walked down the stairs of their house. She was awkwardly sitting on their couch, looking more uncomfortable than usual. Joel blinked and approached her.

"Ellie? What's the matter?"

"Alright, I need your help." She shifted in her seat, wringing her hands. This is the most nervous he's seen her outside of a fight in years.

"Well, uh, shoot. Wait, no, don't actually shoot anyone." He grinned at her, trying to make a joke.

It worked in taking the edge off her a little, at least; Ellie cracked a smile right back. "Okay, that was super lame. Stop trying to make jokes, it doesn't suit you."

They both chuckled together for a moment before he sat down next to her. "Alright, with that outta the way, what do you need?"

"I need, uh, ad-- shit, I realized how dumb this sounds." She inhaled and held the breath for a moment. "But I need advice."

He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to elaborate.

She paused before continuing, practically sweating all over the couch. "Ro... romantic advice."

If Joel wasn't sitting down, he would have fell over. He had never even thought he'd have to have a conversation like this with Ellie; it had never crossed his mind in the years he's known her.

His mouth opened, then closed. Ellie immediately recognized the awkward look on his face and though she was nervous, she had to force herself not to laugh.

"Okay...." he started slowly. "It's not my strongest suit, but I'll try. What do you wanna know?"

She took a deep breath and scratched behind her head, averting her eyes. "I dunno, it's just... how do you know? If you like someone, that is. How do you really _know_?"

He blinked and then shut his eyes, trying to collect his thoughts. Slowly, a picture formed in his mind.

"I don't think I ever told you how I had met Sarah's mother, have I?"

Ellie's eyes widened and she scooted forward; any hint of Joel's past was interesting to her, so she was already eager to hear the story. "No, you haven't. You cool with sharing?"

He nodded as he opened his eyes. "It was when I was young, and yes, I was young once." She grinned at him as he continued. "Every morning, I'd rush to work but I'd always stop at this one cafe-- coffee place-- on the way. I wasn't crazy about coffee at first, but the smell and taste really grew on me." Joel could almost smell it again, even after all this time, which brought a small smile to his face.

"Yeah, you've mentioned coffee before. I bet it was nice."

"Well, it could be bitter. I bet you'd put a lot of sugar in it. I wish you could try it."

"Alright, don't get side tracked. There was this coffee place...?" Her eyes were still bright with curiosity.

"Okay, well, there was this woman who worked there just about every day. She was extremely charming and had a fantastic smile." Joel definitely remembered a few other details that he immediately decided to spare telling Ellie. He remembered their first kiss as well as their last, while everything in between was a nearly a blur of pure emotion. There were feelings that he hadn't really thought about in well over twenty years and he didn't want to get lost in them.

"So she was pretty?"

He was brought back to the girl in front of him, and felt a pang of sadness since he personally knew the ending of that story. But still, he couldn't deny it. "She was gorgeous."

Ellie looked down at her hands, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "And that's when you knew? That you liked her?"

"Well, yeah, but it wasn't instant. We only did small talk in the beginning. But I became such a regular, I'd joke with her and she'd joke back. I started to look forward to seeing her every day. It grew into love."

His words brought a smile to her face and for a moment, they both were quiet. But then Ellie took a deep breath, like she was winding up a pitch.

"I've felt that before, then. 'Cause that's exactly how I felt."

"Oh, I uh." He stammered a little. "I didn't know you were close to anyone... like that."

"Well yeah, it was back in Boston, you know." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "With Riley."

"Oh." Joel's eyes widened, caught off guard due to her confession. " _Oh_. You mean... that girl you were with when you were... bitten?"

She averted his eyes, staring at the side of the couch intently.

"Well, ah...." His voice died in his throat, unable to immediately find the words to say. Just as he knew his story with his ex-wife ended, Joel knew how Ellie's story unfolded as well.

"Ellie...." He whispered, his heart breaking at the look on her face. She seemed to be remembering what happened in Boston, when both girls were bit and the pain that caused. Ellie couldn't help the tears that started down her cheeks, though she stubbornly tried to wipe them away.

"Oh no, c'mere, girl." Joel's arms surrounded her, pulling her into a warm, protective hug. He rubbed her shaking shoulders as she sniffled against his flannel shirt.

"I just wish--" Ellie's weak voice broke, so she swallowed and tried again. "I just wish it wasn't so hard."

He sighed, gave her a firm squeeze and then pulled her away just enough so he could look at her. "I think loving someone is supposed to be hard." Joel forced a smile, and continued. "But the payoff, though. It can really be worth it."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Thanks, I really appreciate it." Ellie pulled out of his embrace and looked up into his eyes. "Really, I do. And thanks for sharing about... well, you know."

"So what brought all this on? Is there someone you...?" He awkwardly let the question hang.

Ellie blinked and flushed pink, "Oh, no no, I just-- not really, just." She stuttered, "I guess I just wanted to get all that off my chest."

"Uh huh," Joel couldn't help but grin. He was certainly happy to see the color back in her face, showing that she is just as resilient as always. Though now, he really was curious if there was someone in town Ellie had her eye on. However, he knew it was not the time to pry into her business. Just like today, the girl would come to him when she was ready to talk.

"Alright, alright," Ellie huffed, finally pushing herself up off the couch. "Your assistance is no longer necessary." Her cheeks were still red from her tears and embarrassment, but a smile now graced her lips.

"You ready for a little lunch? Let's see if I can't learn you a little Texan delicacy or something." Joel could hardly keep a straight face as she all but ran into the kitchen.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh man, and here we go, another fanfic that I've been sitting on for a while!! I'm really good at letting them pile up, oops.
> 
> But this has definitely been on my mind: just how Ellie would tell Joel that she isn't straight, and the nature of her relationship with Riley. I also did get to intertwine my thoughts about how Joel met his ex-wife; I really had the idea about a lame coffee shop romance, which is one reason why he does have a strong affinity for coffee.
> 
> And yeah, I don't see Joel making a big deal out of Ellie being gay. In the world they live in, you try to get the love you can, and he'd know that Ellie coming to him like this means she's serious and she needs support, so he won't deny her that. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you very much for reading, and hopefully I'll be able to pop out a few more fics soon! I'm sitting on at least one current WIP, and I have one completed fic that I just need to polish before I'm comfortable about posting it. Love you guys!! :D


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